tips, tricks, and thoughts from the hospitality industry

Who’s picking up the bill?

“We returned to our regular restaurant for the consistently good food and friendly service. I ordered a medium-well burger. It arrived charred and dry. I pointed to the burger and asked the waitress if this is considered ‘med-well’, and she said yes. I told her to ask the manager. Manager comes and says, “Yes, you were right. The burger is overcooked. Let us make another one for you and we will comp this one on your ticket.

He asked us if we would like anything while we were waiting, and I couldn’t think of anything… I waited 15 minutes. My husband had finished his dinner before my second burger came.

When our bill came, it was ‘comped’ out. I was charged for the original burger, and when the waitress put in the order for new burger, charged for that one also, and then subtracted the amount for one of the burgers.

We call the manager back. We explained that ‘comp’ in our minds meant ‘the cost of the burger is removed and the second one is not charged either.’ In other words, we don’t pay for my meal at all, because of the wait, and not being able to enjoy the dinner because my husband and I could not eat our meals together.

The manager explained, “No, comp means we still charge you for serving you a burger, you just don’t have to pay for the burger we remade for you.” We were dumbfounded–we have never heard of comp used in this way before. What do you think?”

~ Jinny

Well, Jinny, I think you are absolutely 100% right. I have never heard of a ‘comp’ being handled this way. It was the restaurant’s error, and the manager & waitress admitted to that. Had it been an undercooked burger they could have simply put it back on the grill, but their mistake was overcooking, which meant that they would have to cook another burger in order to get it right.

That’s not your fault as a guest.

It is also an oversight that they left you with nothing to eat while your husband had his food. Ideally, your server should have asked if your husband would like for them to hold his burger and bring it back with yours so you could enjoy them together, or they should have brought your side items (french fries or salad) on a separate plate so you could enjoy them while waiting for your re-fired burger. At the restaurants where I have managed, we typically always have some item that we can send out quickly as a small complimentary course in these cases (salad, ceviche, bruschetta, etc.).

There could a couple of operational things that might have contributed to this kerfluffle, though.

There is a good reason to re-ring the burger on the check in the first place. In a busy kitchen, it cuts down on mis-communication to ring in the order, rather than verbally order it from the chef. Many restaurants won’t allow any verbal orders in the kitchen, and must have a ‘ticket’ for everything that leaves the kitchen. Both the original burger and the re-fired burger should have come off your check, however.

This manager also sounds very new to me. It doesn’t make sense to split hairs over a single burger when the outcome is likely to make the guest question whether to return to that restaurant again. You’ve also probably shared this negative experience with friends, thereby keeping them from patronizing this restaurant, as well.

If you do wish to return to the restaurant (you did mention it is a regular spot for you), I’d try to get in touch with the general manager or owner, and tell him about your experience. As restaurateurs, if we don’t hear about these experiences, we cannot improve. If this manager really is a little green, then sharing your story with the general manager will likely help him in his further training in hospitality.

Q:I have been to this “fine dining” restaurant a bunch of times. The owner knows me and my usual dinner-date. We almost always have a bottle of wine, two entrees and either an app or a dessert. We tip well.

We went last week, and my date ordered the same thing as always. It was great, as always. I am the adventurer, and I will often try the special or newest item on the menu. I’ve had “hits” and I’ve had “misses.” This time it was “seitan steak.” The owner is vegetarian, and I always order vegetarian items. I trust him, and I want to support culinary creativity. The seitan steak was HORRIBLE. So bad that McDonald’s would not have put it on a bun. I was hungry and stomached about half of it.

When the very friendly waiter came to check, we explained to him (politely) that the seitan was not the best addition to the menu. In fact, I offered a bite, and he took it. He agreed. It was HORRIBLE. He even said that the chef (not the owner, who was out of town), when plating the food, said “I don’t even know why we serve seitan.”

Instead of comp-ing the $19 entree, he offered free dessert. We accepted. Dessert was fine – nothing remarkable. He should have comp-ed the entree…no?

— C.O.

A: First off, let me say, that you sound like an absolutely delightful diner. A regular, great tipper, open to a new experience… I’d love to have you in my dining room anytime!

On to the server, though….there is a difference between being friendly and overly familiar. I’m going to assume that the server recognized you as a regular, but he should never hate on the menu like that at a table. Apologize, definitely, but don’t get the guests involved in what sounds like a personal power-struggle between the owner and the chef; just take the dish back to the kitchen, and send a manager to the table.

It’s also strange that a manager didn’t seem to drop by your table. Anytime a dish goes back to the kitchen, a front of house manager should come by the table to apologize, and try to gain some feedback for the chef to possibly improve the dish.

To comp or not to comp? It’s one of the murkiest areas in hospitality. Some owners have extremely conservative comp policies, while others are more generous. But the ultimate goal should be to satisfy the guest. You didn’t go out to play menu-roulette; you wanted to have a great meal. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect that everything on their menu is tasty. It’s generally accepted that if a dish is “under-enjoyed”; it should come off the check. Sending dessert or any additional comp is up for debate (but I usually err on the side of generosity).

Since you are still thinking about this incident days later, this restaurant missed an opportunity to make you feel like the welcome regular you are.

Considering all of the variables above, I would say the Restaurant is stuck with the Bill on this one. The manager should have taken the Seitan steak off the check, definitely, in addition to sending out a dessert or a round of after-dinner drinks. -m

If you’ve had a weird experience at a restaurant, I’d love to hear about it! submit your story by clicking on the “Who’s Picking up the Bill” button on the right.